Located in the scenic Schoharie Valley, Mine Kill State Park overlooks the NY Power Authority's Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Power Project. Providing good fishing opportunities, the lower reservoir is stocked with trout and walleye, and has several other species, including bass and is ideal for motor boating, kayaking and water skiing.

Mine Kill State Park has an Olympic size pool, wading pool and a diving pool available at no cost to anyone. Swim lessons are taught in the summer months--please contact the park office for details. Other warm weather activities include hiking and mountain biking on the parks 8 miles of trails. The park also hosts sessions of the Headwaters Soccer Camp in its regulation sized athletic fields. League play is also welcome.

Cascading 80 feet through a narrow gorge is the picturesque Mine Kill Falls for which the park is named. A separate parking area, 1/4 miles south of the parks' main entrance, provides access to the overlook viewing platforms, as well as the Long Path hiking trail to the lower falls and beyond. In winter, visitors enjoy snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling.

A boating permit is no longer needed to access the Blenheim-Gilboa Lower Reservoir at Mine Kill State Park. Every boater is required to wash their boat using the park's hot water boat wash station before and after entering the reservoir, and sign in at the park office or ticket booth. The boat launch is open from 7:30 am to 1 hour before the park closes. For more information, please contact the park office at (518) 827-8690.

In the fall bow hunting for deer is allowed by permit only. Hunting permits are issued by the New York Power Authority via a lottery system. Please call the Power Authority Visitor Center for more details.

Pavilion Information Mine Kill has four pavilions/tents that can accommodate 45 to 100 people. Check availability at ReserveAmerica.com. Please contact the park to reserve.

Have you ever played disc golf?If not, come out to Mine Kill State Park to learn all about this incredibly popular sport! Disc golf is very similar to traditional golf, with each player starting from a tee area in order to reach a target in the fewest strokes possible. However, disc golfers use a variety of plastic discs instead of a ball and clubs, and try to get the disc to land in an elevated metal basket called a "pole-hole." Both driving and putting discs may be rented at the Mine Kill pool office with a $5 deposit/$1 fee per disc. A variety of discs, golf bags, towels and other great gear may be purchased at the brand new MKDGC Pro Shop located at the park office. The first hole begins next to the pool parking area in the open ball field. Please sign the register at the information kiosk and pick up a scorecard for whichever layout you decide to play.

Pet Policy: A maximum of two pets are allowed in day use areas unless prohibited by sign or directive. Pets are to be supervised at all times and either be crated or on a leash not more than 6-feet in length. Proof of rabies inoculation shall be produced if requested by staff. Pets are not permitted in playgrounds, buildings, golf courses, boardwalks, pools and spray-grounds or guarded beaches (this does not apply to service animals).

Mailing AddressPO Box 923 North Blenheim, NY 12122

Hours of Operation

Park is open year-round, dawn to dusk

2020 Swimming Season: 6/27 - 9/7, 10 am - 6 pm, daily

Swim Lessons (Free): Monday - Thursday, 4:00pm to 5:45pm (20-30 min lessons)Session 1 - June 29 to July 23Session 2 - July 27 to August 20Contact the Park Office after Memorial Day to sign up.

Disc Golf: Year Round (weather permitting)

Disc rentals available

Mine Kills Falls: Open year-round: Dawn to Dusk, weather permitting

Picnicking: Available year round (weather permitting)

Boating: April 1-October 15. All boaters must sign-in at the Park Office, or Information Station located next to the Boat Wash.

Fees & Rates

Most New York State Parks charge a vehicle use fee to enter the facility. Fees vary by location and season. A list of entry fees and other park use fees is available below. For fees not listed or to verify information, please contact the park directly.

The easy-to-use Empire Pass card is $80- and your key to all-season enjoyment with unlimited day-use entry at most facilities operated by State Parks and the State Dept. of Environmental Conservation including forests, beaches, trails and more. Purchase online or contact your favorite park for more information.
Learn more about our Admission Programs including the Empire Pass.

Vehicle Entrance Fee

No fee (courtesy of the New York Power Authority)

Disc Golf

$1 disc rentals-plus $5 disc deposit

Athletic Equipment

Varies with a $5 deposit

Kayaking

Weekend Rentals available on a first come first serve basis (6/27-9/7)Weekday and Off-Season Rentals may be possible by calling the Park Office to make a reservation.

Maps

Mine Kill State Park is the namesake of Mine Kill Falls, the signature, 80-foot terraced waterfall that regularly mesmerizes visitors to the park. Mine Kill Falls feature a scenic hiking trail (part of the Long Path) from the parking lot down to its base. In addition, visitors get to enjoy a bird's eye view of the waterway along the platforms near the top of the trail.

Hikers will thoroughly enjoy Mine Kill's 10 miles of trails, including to a 5-mile segment of the Long Path, a 350-mile long, marked foot path that runs from the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, NJ, to the village of Altamont, NY (west of Albany). The Long Path links together several state, county and town parks on its journey along the Hudson, through the Catskills and toward the Adirondacks.

Enjoy wildlife sightings? Mine Kill is home to a number of mammals, reptiles, fish, and birds. While you're out hiking the trails, make sure to stop and listen for the various sounds of the wild. Some common sounds are chipmunks rustling through the leaves, bluebirds, house wrens, bald eagles, red-tailed hawks, pileated woodpeckers, and occasionally a barred owl or great horned owl! Common things to see in the park are white-tailed deer, cottontail rabbits, black bear, and sometimes a coyote or two.

Mine Kill is a great habitat for the critters that live here because it's so diverse. There are many different kinds of coniferous and deciduous trees such as maples, spruce, hickory, and pines. Quite a few animals like to make their homes inside these trees. Animals like to make their homes in rocky dens as well, and there are a few rock ledges and caves lurking around the park. On the other hand, there are plenty of wide open fields for birds, mice, bees, and butterflies to sift through, catching bugs, picking up pollen from our wildflowers, and munching on some grass. One last great aspect of the park is the reservoir! There are plenty of shore birds and aquatic creatures that enjoy their time down at the water. Keep your eyes open when you're walking around and think of where you are in the park and what critters could be around you!

Q: When is the best time for deer to shed their horns so that they can be collected?

A: According to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, male deer usually produce their first set of antlers at one year of age. Antler size generally increases with age, although genetics, food quality and health play important roles as well. Bucks shed their antlers in the winter following the rut. Usually when the last snow thaws and before leaves and underbrush bud in the spring is the most ideal time to scavenge for shed antlers.

Q: What is "HWA" and how did it arrive at Mine Kill State Park?

A: "HWA" stands for Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, an aphid-like insect native to Asia that was originally identified in Virginia in the 1950's. HWA has since spread virtually unharmed throughout Eastern Hemlock groves up and down the east coast, and continues to pose a terrible threat to one of the most important tree species of the eastern hardwood forest. HWA was originally identified at Mine Kill in 2011 and fortunately, the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has developed a mitigation system to help save the majority of the park's afflicted hemlocks from the invasive pest.

Did You Know?

- DID YOU KNOW? Mine Kill State Park and the Schoharie Valley boast one of the highest nesting bald eagle populations in New York State. Take a hike along one of the many trails within the park and you'll be sure to catch a glimpse of our national bird.

- DID YOU KNOW? The Schoharie Creek is home to the oldest tree fossils in the world. These prehistoric plants discovered along the banks of the creek in 1850 date back to the Devonian Period, when an inland sea existed here approximately 380 million years ago.

The Education team at Mine Kill offers a number of different programs and activities for all ages and are completely FREE. Programs can be done at the park or we can come to your classroom! The lessons listed below are just a few of the programs we can offer for your classes. Contact us today to schedule your private program!

Plant Science

Life Cycle: educators will explain the life cycle of a tree, activities included.Planet Planting: students will learn the many impacts a single tree can have on a life. Afterwards, students are given the opportunity to plant a seedling of their own.Tree Identification: students will be taught a multitude of ways to identify local trees of New York State

Animal Science

Who's Hoo?: students receive one owl pellet each, as well as a pair of tweezers, and begin dissecting. Educators will demonstrate how an owl eats to better explain the student's findings. Birds, Bones, and Calls of the Wild: Examination of different skulls, feathers, bones, calls, and more from various wildlife in New York State.

Leave No Trace

Students will be taught the 7 principles of the Leave No Trace philosophy hands on and in a memorable manner. Students will learn the many effects humans can have on the natural environment around them even while primitively camping.

Geocaching and Basic GPS Skills

Students will learn how to use a GPS to find hidden objects, and they will learn about the hobby of geocaching.

Bow hunting for deer is permitted at Mine Kill State Park. Mine Kill's hunting program is administered by the New York Power Authority. NYPA issues a maximum of 100 permits to licensed bow hunters who have completed the shooting competency portion of the bow hunter education process.

At Mine Kill, hunters can hunt outside of the developed park grounds and on acres of NYPA managed property; hunters must park in designated parking areas - described in detail to hunters when they receive their permit from NYPA. To inquire about getting a bow hunting permit, please contact the New York Power Authority at the Blenheim-Gilboa Visitors Center by calling: 518-827-6121.